@munk93 You must post some pictures! I hope it looks as good under the paint as the older treks do.

@m39023 I am undecided about the cable stops, I hadnt planned on using the old stops as I didn't want to run the brake cable housings the full length however you got me thinking. 2mins with the dremel making the hole on one side a little bigger and hey presto.

Sure, it needs a polish or paint, but the end cap slides in perfectly and is too big to get out the other side.The only problem is... I only have 3 cable guides so would still require another. doh

So the long and the short of it is I will either be getting a new set of cable stops (If anyone knows where I could get some let me know. Im guessing any frame builder would have some) or my other plan was to make some from carbon fibre/tube and mould them direct to the frame. That depends on whether I have the time and how adventurous i'm feeling . Im not adventurous enough for internal routing. I thought about it momentarily when I saw the small holes left by the down tube shifter bosses but then very quickly changed my mind.

Otherwise, all the parts are beginning to come together now and the frame just has the bottom bracket left to sand. Hubs and rims are on their way so once they arrive, I can measure up for spokes. If everything comes in at the claimed weights the wheels are looking to weigh either 1010 or 1040g depending if I use brass or alu nipples and all for £265 ! I will keep you posted when everything arrives!

I finally got the bottom bracket out and have weighed the frame in its full nude form, weight came in at 1050g!! Obviously a little weight will be added with the new cable stops, clearcoat and decals, but for a 14yr old frame its pretty good. The fork is still annoying me, weighing in at 503g, but hey you cant win them all and maybe I will upgrade this in the near future. On the bright side the expander came in at 9g which was a surprise.

Will hopefully pick up some cable stops later today and them i can get on with adding decals and clear-coating.

I have also been working on the seatpost.

Original form.

Out comes the hacksaw, Chop chop

Some work with the dremel, may lay up some additional carbon fibre to give a little extra support.

Still needs work, cutting out more material for the U-bit to sit securely. As you can see I have left part of the aluminium in so as to help spread the load of the U-part and will use part of a cork and some copydex(latex glue) to stop water getting in.

Current weight is a touch over 100g, I was hoping for around 150g complete but its looking like it will come out lighter . I still need to drill the hole for the 'bar' and manufacture the bar and yokes and pick up some ti bolts. I think i will also layup some more CF around the top/where the holes are for the bar, just to make sure.

The cable stops are now glued to the frame and are drying as I type, I plan to apply the decals and get the clear coating done within the week . Then I need to find some brakes, get down the workshop to finish the seatpost parts, Build up the wheels and put it all together. Simples

I am also currently making a top cap out of some carbon fibre, It was a rushed job, so it may well turn out rubbish but we shall see.

I think I will call it wasserogre.Yes its light but trust me this thing is UGLY looking, and dont worry btp/tune, I know this looks a bit like your cages but im not planning on selling it and even if I did I wouldn't buy it as it looks like its been made by a child.

Seems to function well enough, I can imagine bottles getting stuck in being more of a problem than bottles falling out. And the best bit... It was virtually free.

If anyone is interested in how I made such a monstrosity it was as follows. I am a mechanical engineer and have studied composites design and manufacture, so I know this isnt pretty, using a mould would have given much better results but the more time I spend making moulds the less time riding.

1. Wrap bottle in clingfilm, glue on bolts in correct position2. Lay up woven reinforcement in bolt area3. wrap UD (as I had some for free, woven/1 layer woven probably better) around bottle 4. leave to cure 90%5. Remove from bottle, peal off clingfilm6. use dremel to make it look a little less scruffy and fix holes

The 'top-cap' I made the other day in a flurry of "ah i have so much resin left I must make something with it before it sets" Is only 2g so I'm questioning if it will be strong enough. I will see how it works out but currently its finish is poor and roundness is questionable, I may tension the headset with another top-cap, do up the stem then use this to hold it all down after, It could then be used on a ride if the headset ever comes lose whist riding.

And just in case anyone is interested the parts that were removed from the frame all weighed 100g exactly!

North America is currently my favourite place!Things are getting exciting now, the frame is done, I'm now just waiting on the final components.

Here is a teaser.

I have also been down the workshop today and have made the parts for the seatpost, final weight is 142g so a saving of 110g over the original! I hope to get some Ti bolts in the near future which should save a further 8g.

I also just weighed the saddle, 311g I think I may need to do a sneaky swap at some point.

You must be a god with the ladies if you can get them to sit on something called scratch nack

Whist waiting for the post man I have built up a not so weightweenie but very budgetweenie 15.2kg tandem this weekend, a project I have been wanting to do for ages. We went for a ride today and after 5mins i was told "I am never riding a bike again". Lets hope the finished trek changes her mind.

Does anyone want to buy a tandem? I'm only joking I had far to much fun to sell it yet

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